A conservation about 'new African conciousness' in podcast Elke Dag

I recently wrote a report for de Volkskrant about Africa's first afrocentric school, run by Dr Utheri Kanayo (aka Susan Kiragu) and her husband Ọkụ in Nakuru, Kenya. Children learn to be proud of their 'African' identity, origin and background.

I have seen this 'new African consciousness' and the 'decolonization of the mind' more often in recent years. That prompted a conversation with Sheila Sitalsing, for Volkskrant podcast Elke Dag - you can listen to that episode by clicking on the link below.

A column about Joram, the app developer slash farmer slash Uber driver

Many hundreds of times over the past five years I have ordered an Uber taxi, but never have I been picked up in Nairobi by a driver dressed in a three-piece suit. Joram, he must be in his mid-20s, even has a freshly picked rose tucked into the lapel of his suit jacket. Does he always go to such great lengths for the people he drives?

He smiles. ‘No sir, this is not for you. I have a meeting with some investors later and I want to look smart.’ My driver turns out to be an app developer and hopes to raise some investments to grow his business. ‘I thought I'd take a few more rides before my meeting starts, get myself some pocket money.’

In the conversation that follows, it turns out that Joram also owns a shamba, a farm, in his parents' village, that he actually graduated as an accountant, but also owns a small vegetable stall in Nairobi and that he builds apps in his spare time. How did he manage to do the latter? He just watched some explanation videos on YouTube.

When I had just moved to Nairobi, I was often perplexed by these kinds of stories from multi-tasking Kenyans. I now know: Joram is one of Kenya's many hustlers, which is best translated as 'hosselaars', but without the negative connotation that the Dutch translation often has. Kenyans are proud of their hustlers – in fact, the country now even has a president who proudly calls himself the hustler-in-chief.

But will William Ruto's new government stand up for the hustlers who elected him as promised? Read the column in today's paper edition of de Volkskrant, or here on the website: https://www.volkskrant.nl/columns-van-de-dag/op-president-en-opperhosselaar-william-ruto-hoeven-kenianen-niet-te-rekenen~b6106162/

Odinga goes to court: what does he want? New work for De Volkskrant and VPRO

ODM opposition leader Raila Odinga has gone to court to challenge the result, describing it as "fraudulent", as he alleges there was a pre-planned effort to alter the outcome. Four of the seven electoral commissioners refused to gather behind the outcome of the elections, saying that the way the final results were tallied was "opaque".

What happens now? How do Kenyans feel about Odinga’s move? And what proof does the ‘opposition veteran’ and his legal team have? That’s what I’ve tried to explain to Sophie Derkzen, host of NPO Radio 1’s radio programme Bureau Buitenland - click here to listen to that conversation. For more on the Kenyan elections, you can also read my latest article written for De Volkskrant.

A reportage for De Volkskrant: how Masai are evicted from their land in Northern Tanzania

In northern Tanzania, 165 thousand Maasai herders are driven from their land. After a violent crackdown by the Tanzanian police, at least 2,000 Masai are said to have fled across the border to Kenya, where they are taken in by other herders. "This is an untenable situation."

You can read the whole story in today’s edition of De Volkskrant, or click here. Alternatively, you can listen to this NPO Radio 1 interview with Simone Weimans in Met Het Oog Op Morgen.

New work for de Volkskrant: how Nairobi's bicycle riders are fighting for their rights

In the hilly Kenyan capital of Nairobi, a growing number of cyclists are hitting the streets. In monthly bicycle demonstrations, they are demanding more rights and safety. Cyclists hope that the introduction of e-bikes could gain momentum for cycling.

To read my first Volkskrant reportage, click here.

Sex work, China and Nairobi's nightlife: the art of Michael Soi

“I like to let corrupt Kenyans take a hard look in the mirror, to show them how greedy they are. I just can't stand the hypocrisy. If you like going to a prostitute, why shouldn't I make a work of art about it?”

Kenyan artist Michael Soi (1972) doesn’t shy away from controversy. His bright, colored paintings are about political sensitivities and sex work, and he finished a series of 100 artworks on the Kenyan-Chinese relations. But the Chinese are not happy with his statements about their "political interference" in Africa.

To find out more, read the full piece (in Dutch), tap on this link or get a copy of Trouw!

New work for EenVandaag & Trouw: thousands evicted because of "Road for the rich"

The construction of a China-funded toll road has led to the demolition of thousands of houses in a Nairobi informal settlement called Mukuru Kwa Njenga. The demolition painfully exposes the large gap between the rich and poor in Kenya. Through shadowy constructions, high-ranking government officials are said to have used the construction of “the road for the rich“ to drive residents from their land.

For Dutch news programme EenVandaag, I spend a few days with residents of Mukuru Kwa Njenga, who have lost all they have after bulldozers came to demolish their homes. A longer version of the story was also published by Dutch daily Trouw – tap here or on the picture below to read that article.

Kenya's boda bodas: a blessing or a nuisance?

Now that platform companies such as Uber have embraced Nairobi's motor taxis, the Kenyan capital has seen a large proliferation of these 'boda bodas'. There are attempts to replace the millions of polluting motorbikes with electric ones, but not everyone is enthusiastic about these plans.

Read my latest for Het Financieele Dagblad (FD) by clicking on this link.

New work for VPRO: do they have internet in Africa?

“I don’t even think they have internet [in Africa]”

“Maybe the phones over there are nothing more than a cardboard homescreen”

“They can’t even build many houses, let alone an internet transmitter mast”

“There probably isn’t any wifi”

“Maybe they don’t even have a phone”

The answers these children gave when they were asked about how they would imagine what the internet in ‘Africa’ would be like, say a lot about how Dutch people (and their kids) perceive the African continent.

Luckily, there are TV shows like VPRO's ‘De Dikke Data Show’ (about big fat data and the worldwide web). They asked me to tell something about how people in Kenya use internet.

And so I interviewed Nairobi-based Nahla, who follows online classes on her laptop (but also uses it to watch Minecraft videos), and Douglas, who lives near Oloitoktok with his cattle and reads the news and chats using his smartphone.

The video above is just a small snippet - to watch the whole episode of De Dikke Data Show (and also see how the internet is different in China), click or tap here.

New work for RTL Nieuws: vaccines in Kenya

For Dutch news broadcaster RTL Nieuws, I worked on a reportage by their Africa correspondent Saskia Houttuin. While The Netherlands is vaccinating millions of its citizens, Kenya has so far only vaccinated 1.8 percent of its population. Community Health Volunteers Joyce and Anne, who are working in Nairobi’s Kariobangi informal settlement, say that they can’t get a jab because they have to pay for it. A vaccine would cost them 3500 Kenyan Shillings, they told us – even though getting a vaccine in Kenya should be free.

You can watch the whole reportage by clicking on the picture above, or by following this link.

Watch National Geographic documentary 'The Grand African Green Up'

I’m very excited to announce that our National Geographic documentary ‘The Grand African Green Up’ is finally here! The film, a collaboration between Disney, National Geographic, AFR100 and Justdiggit, focuses on different environmentalists from all over Africa, who are making efforts towards regreening their continent.

For this project, I filmed in four (back then still very much locked down) countries: Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal and Ghana. Because of COVID restrictions, I had to work as a one-man-band and do both filming and interviewing. I’m humble and proud to announce that the documentary can now be seen in 45 African countries, on both the National Geographic Channel as on the National Geographic Wild channel.

Click play on the video below to check out ‘The Grand African Green Up’, which is directed by Safi Graauw and narrated by Wanjira Mathai!

For the documentary, I was responsible for the on the ground interviews with Rocky Dawuni, Miora Malalasoa, Sadik Ibn Abdulai, Fatou Niang and Elizabeth Wathuti. Below, you can find some screenshots from the film.

Director & Writer: Safi Graauw
Producer: Michelle van Huisstede
Executive Producers: Wessel van Eeden & Nadia de Waal
Interviews & Camera: Joost Bastmeijer
Editor: Nonye Onwuka
Colorist: Roman Strijbos - Het Kleurlokaal
Voice-over: Wanjira Mathai
Music Composers: Joshua Petit & Mari Koning
Additional Vocals: Mame N'Diack Seck Thiam
Guide Voice over: Sydney Lowell
Audio Post Production: Soundsright Studios
Voice Narration Recording: What's Good Studios

Corona in Kenya: why Nairobi is in lockdown once again

Many countries are gradually relaxing their COVID19 measures as vaccins are rolled out. But even as the first Kenyans are receiving ‘the jab’, president Kenyatta announced tighter corona measures to control a third wave. What’s going on in Kenya? I talked about this with NPO Radio 1 host Stephan Komduur in BNNVARA’s foreign news programme ‘De Wereld van BNNVARA’. You can check out the 18 minute conversation by clicking on this link.

New work for El País: Nice Leng'ete and alternative rites of passage

Spanish newspaper El País published some of the pictures I took of Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, who is fighting ancient Maasai traditions in order to put a stop to female genital mutilation, also known as ‘The Cut’. El País focused on her work and published some of the pictures I took of Nice and her grandfather, when I worked on assignment for Amref Health Africa.

To see more pictures in their slideshow, follow this link to the El País ‘Planeta Futuro’ website. To read the (Spanish) article about Nice, click here.